![]() “As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate,” said Attorney General James. Based on these findings and subsequent investigation, Attorney General James is conducting ongoing investigations into more than 20 nursing homes whose reported conduct during the first wave of the pandemic presented particular concern. The investigations also revealed that nursing homes’ lack of compliance with infection control protocols put residents at increased risk of harm, and facilities that had lower pre-pandemic staffing ratings had higher COVID-19 fatality rates. Since March, Attorney General James has been investigating nursing homes throughout New York state based on allegations of patient neglect and other concerning conduct that may have jeopardized the health and safety of residents and employees.Īmong those findings were that a larger number of nursing home residents died from COVID-19 than the New York State Department of Health’s (DOH) published nursing home data reflected and may have been undercounted by as much as 50 percent. NEW YORK – Attorney General Letitia James today released a report on her office’s ongoing investigations into nursing homes’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. How dare they let human beings die as they did.Investigations Reveal DOH Publicly Reported Data Undercounted COVID-19 DeathsĪnd Many Nursing Homes Failed to Comply with Critical Infection Control PoliciesĪG Conducting Ongoing Investigations into More Than 20 Facilities “What I care about is these people are held accountable. “I don’t care about that,” Stevens said of the suit. She said she wants the facility to pay for a receiver and a monitor to oversee its financial operations, which would require a judge’s order.įamilies that were affected, not including Stevens, have filed a class action lawsuit against the facility. James is suing to prohibit the Villages from admitting new residents until staffing levels meet appropriate standards. With her brother in the hospital, she said, “It was the first time in nine months that I could go to bed at night that he was cared for.” It appeared to his sister that his physical deterioration prohibited him from eating. ![]() He had lost a great deal of weight while in the Villages’ care, dropping from 167 to 125 pounds. In September 2021, her brother was admitted to Rochester General Hospital because he was “not doing well,” Darlene Stevens said, according to his nurses. “I would call there for hours, and I’m not exaggerating.” “When you talk about cutting staff - there was nobody around,” Stevens told the Herald. ![]() 30, 2020, and stayed there for nine months.ĭuring that time, Stevens said, there was a lack of communication from staff members when she tried to check on her brother’s status, because there was a shortage of staff. Though he was normally in the care of an aid service in his apartment in Wolcott, he was admitted to the Villages on Dec. Her brother was born mentally disabled, and had the cognitive ability of a 5-year-old when he died at 60 on Jan. James said many patients at both facilities experienced neglect and inhumane treatment.ĭarlene Stevens, a resident of upstate Red Creek, said her brother, whom she declined to name, was a patient at the Villages. Neither Landa’s attorney, Howard Fensterman, nor Fuchs returned calls seeking comment. Landa, who owns the Five Towns Premier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Woodmere, is also alleged by James to be part of a group that committed financial fraud totaling more than $22 million at the Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Woodbury. Several of Fuchs’s relatives are also named in the suit. “Yet the abject failure of The Villages and its owners to uphold their duty under the law caused residents to suffer inhumane treatment, neglect, and harm.” “Every individual deserves to live out their golden years in comfort and with dignity,” James stated in a news release. ![]() The owners cut staffing to increase profits, she asserts, and diverted the health care funding through payments to Telegraph Realty and CHMS Group. Between 20, James’s suit alleges, the Villages received $86.4 million in Medicare and Medicaid funding intended for resident care. ![]()
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